Post by goldenfist on May 1, 2008 9:49:12 GMT -5
The God of Thunder is reviewed by Ign.com
Thor has come a long way in the past few months. After a tedious start to his new ongoing series, the God of Thunder has starred in a batch of issues that will surely number among my favorite comics of the year. Not content to confine Thor to just one book anymore, Marvel has tasked Matt Fraction with penning a series of one-shots chronicling Thor's adventures in different eras. Thor may be a far cry from characters like Iron Fist and Punisher, but Fraction proves that comfort zones are for sissies. Once again, a Thor comic is quite possibly the best book of the week.
This double-sized issue is split into two halves. Both halves are very similar, dealing mainly with Frost Giants, Loki's scheming, and the buxom beauty of the Enchantress. Here's where my only real problem with the issue sets in. The two stories have such a similar premise that I found myself wishing Fraction could have simply edited them together into a larger piece.
I can more than forgive Fraction for that, though, because this is one terrific Asgardian adventure. As the story takes place far back in the earlier days of Asgard, the tone is far removed from Thor's more contemporary adventures. For the most part, Fraction captures the feel and the sound of ancient Asgard perfectly. I say almost because, every once in a while, the somber, regal narrative voice is broken by an oddly contemporary phrase or two. Still, by and large this is some darned fine writing. Fraction actually focuses most of his attention on characters other than Thor. As mentioned, Loki and Enchantress steal most of the spotlight. It's a welcome novelty to read an Enchantress that's interested in something other than jumping Thor's bones. The same goes for Loki in that we don't usually see this amateurish, unsure side of him. Thor appears relatively briefly, but that only serves to make his few appearances all the more powerful. Rarely has a single word like "Aye" resonated as much as it does coming out of Thor's mouth in this book.
Some part of me must have known Patrick Zircher was a perfect fit for the world of Asgard when I read Terror, Inc. If I didn't realize that right away, I was certainly reminded in this issue. Zircher's work is spectacular in its depiction of a bloody realm far removed from our own. The joint effort of Khari Evans and the Djurdjevics is no less impressive. I was a little disappointed that the Djurdjevics didn't paint over Evans' pencils, but I understand time was a factor here. It just sucks as a fan to see them doing so much work on the Thor books but never used to their full potential.
At least Fraction is writing to his full potential. This is one fantastic comic and any self-respecting Thor fan should throw it in their weekly pile. Perhaps it's too early to be thinking about the future of Thor after J. Michael Straczynski leaves. Even so, I now know who I want to replace him.
Reivew Score: 9.1 Outstanding
Thor has come a long way in the past few months. After a tedious start to his new ongoing series, the God of Thunder has starred in a batch of issues that will surely number among my favorite comics of the year. Not content to confine Thor to just one book anymore, Marvel has tasked Matt Fraction with penning a series of one-shots chronicling Thor's adventures in different eras. Thor may be a far cry from characters like Iron Fist and Punisher, but Fraction proves that comfort zones are for sissies. Once again, a Thor comic is quite possibly the best book of the week.
This double-sized issue is split into two halves. Both halves are very similar, dealing mainly with Frost Giants, Loki's scheming, and the buxom beauty of the Enchantress. Here's where my only real problem with the issue sets in. The two stories have such a similar premise that I found myself wishing Fraction could have simply edited them together into a larger piece.
I can more than forgive Fraction for that, though, because this is one terrific Asgardian adventure. As the story takes place far back in the earlier days of Asgard, the tone is far removed from Thor's more contemporary adventures. For the most part, Fraction captures the feel and the sound of ancient Asgard perfectly. I say almost because, every once in a while, the somber, regal narrative voice is broken by an oddly contemporary phrase or two. Still, by and large this is some darned fine writing. Fraction actually focuses most of his attention on characters other than Thor. As mentioned, Loki and Enchantress steal most of the spotlight. It's a welcome novelty to read an Enchantress that's interested in something other than jumping Thor's bones. The same goes for Loki in that we don't usually see this amateurish, unsure side of him. Thor appears relatively briefly, but that only serves to make his few appearances all the more powerful. Rarely has a single word like "Aye" resonated as much as it does coming out of Thor's mouth in this book.
Some part of me must have known Patrick Zircher was a perfect fit for the world of Asgard when I read Terror, Inc. If I didn't realize that right away, I was certainly reminded in this issue. Zircher's work is spectacular in its depiction of a bloody realm far removed from our own. The joint effort of Khari Evans and the Djurdjevics is no less impressive. I was a little disappointed that the Djurdjevics didn't paint over Evans' pencils, but I understand time was a factor here. It just sucks as a fan to see them doing so much work on the Thor books but never used to their full potential.
At least Fraction is writing to his full potential. This is one fantastic comic and any self-respecting Thor fan should throw it in their weekly pile. Perhaps it's too early to be thinking about the future of Thor after J. Michael Straczynski leaves. Even so, I now know who I want to replace him.
Reivew Score: 9.1 Outstanding